Olga Jezler, a legal permanent resident of the United States, was an entrepreneur with a professional makeup business before her unjust imprisonment. In June 2022, she traveled to Russia to care for her sister, who was undergoing treatment for breast cancer. Upon arrival in Moscow, she voluntarily declared that she possessed legally purchased and legally permissible CBD capsules, as she had done on previous trips. CBD is legal in Russia, but this time her treatment was different. After being questioned about her travel, Olga was allowed to leave the airport, but three days later, she was arrested and falsely charged with drug trafficking and sentenced to 10 years in a Russian penal colony. Olga’s arrest and detention fits a pattern of behavior from Russia with Americans being detained, which was particularly salient in 2022. Olga is innocent, as she was carrying a legal substance into Russia for her sister struggling with breast cancer. Despite being a legal permanent resident of the U.S., no one from State Department visited Olga during her first three years of detention. This is unacceptable, and we cannot forget any American. The U.S. government owes it to Olga and her family to do everything in its power to bring her home.
